With Arms Wide Open
by August08
Summary: After escaping the clutches of agent Bishop, Mikey falls ill. Thinking that it's something serious, Don runs some tests. However, he soon discovers a secret that no one was supposed to know about; and it's a secret that will change their lives forever. Mpreg. No T-cest.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix for planting this idea into my head. This story was inspired by With Arms Wide Open by Creed. This is my first attempt at an mpreg story which is usually not my cup of tea, but the idea was too good to pass up. For those of you reading, you have been warned in the summary what this story contains. It's not too late to turn back if mpreg is not your thing. If you're curious and brave enough to venture forth into my madness I say welcome. I promise there isn't going to be anything too outrageous in this story (Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld would probably have my head haha! Just kidding :)

Anyway, sit down, relax, and enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything related to the Turtles

* * *

It was the faint beating of a heart that dragged Michelangelo out of unconsciousness. His eyes fluttered open, only to find himself in pitch darkness. Rubbing his head where he lay, Michelangelo felt out who he was lying on; and he knew there was only one person whose chest was as broad as the one he was draped across. Michelangelo slowly sat up and reached out, his hand resting lightly on his brother's shoulder. He gently started to shake his brother awake.

"Raphie," Michelangelo murmured. "Wake up."

Raphael groaned as he began to wake up. He winced as the stiff muscles in his neck pulled in protest as he lifted his head up. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relieve some of the pain.

"Raphie, what happened?" Michelangelo asked worriedly as he tried to see through the dark where they were.

Raphael rubbed his eyes. "We were...uh...give me a sec," his brother muttered. He moved his head back and forth, cringing when he heard bones crack. "We were...we were...I can't remember," Raphael replied uncertainly. "Urgh, my head."

"Here, let me see," Michelangelo said.

He reached up and gently examined his brother's head. He felt a large bump with his finger tips and he heard Raphael hissed in pain. "You got quite a knot there, Bro," Michelangelo said softly as he sat back on his haunches, staring off into the darkness as he tried to recall what happened to him and Raphael before they woke up. At first, everything was a blank, and then slowly, memories began to return. He had been out for a training exercise with his brothers. Ever since Splinter passed away a few months ago, Leonardo had stepped up their training.

The run had gone smoothly, with a few breaks to stop a break-in and a couple of muggings. On the way back to the lair, the brothers decided to race home in teams; Leonardo and Donatello had shot off in one direction, leaving Raphael and Michelangelo to go another way. It wasn't long into the race when Raphael noticed a van following them. He had quietly informed Michelangelo and the pair had taken precautions to make sure they weren't followed back to the lair. It seemed that they had lost the strange van, until they had tried to get back underground…That was when everything went to hell.

The van had ended up belonging to Bishop. He had cornered the brothers in a dead-end alley with no escape route. His men moved in and the brothers sprang into action. They managed to take out a good number of Black Ops before Bishop called in the big guns. Tougher soldiers with upgraded armor and weapons arrived on the scene.

One of the new soldiers advanced on Michelangelo, who was preoccupied with two other Black Op soldiers. He hadn't been paying any attention to what was behind him until he heard Raphael grunt in pain. Michelangelo swung around to see his red masked brother go down, clearly taking a hard blow to the head that had been meant for him. The soldier raised his gun and fired. The last thing Michelangelo saw before everything disappeared in a dark, swirling vortex of pain was an unconscious Raphael being dragged off towards the van.

_That had been...how long ago?_ Michelangelo couldn't recall. Time lost meaning when one was unconscious. That could have happened hours…or days ago, for all he knew. Michelangelo hummed deep in thought and rubbed his eyes. He hoped Leonardo and Donatello were okay.

"What's going to happen to us?" Michelangelo asked his older brother fearfully.

Raphael was silent for a moment before he spoke, "Don't know," he replied simply. "If we're in Bishop's clutches, who knows what'll happen to us."

Michelangelo looked down at the floor. "Yeah," he agreed quietly. "But at least we're together."

Raphael smiled and patted his brother's shell. He reached back and rubbed the bump on the back of his head, wincing in pain. He was finally starting to remember what happened. Those new soldiers really packed a punch. Raphael was surprised he wasn't suffering from a concussion after that hit to the head he took. He gently laid his head against the wall, closed his eyes and sighed tiredly. He heard Michelangelo shift beside him before he felt his brother place his head on his leg. Raphael put his hand on Michelangelo's shoulder.

"I hope Leo and Donnie are alright," Michelangelo said sleepily.

"I'm sure they're just fine," Raphael replied. "They'll rescue us in no time and until then we'll be okay too."

"How can you be so sure?" Michelangelo asked.

Raphael smiled. "Because if Bishop tries anythin', he has to go through me first."

Michelangelo closed his eyes and smiled. With his brother beside him, Michelangelo fell into deep, dreamless sleep. He knew Raphael would be there to protect him from whatever Bishop had planned. He also knew that Raphael wouldn't let Bishop have his way; not without a fight, at least.

* * *

Michelangelo woke up to the sound of doors hissing open several hours later. He opened his eyes and lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the harsh white light that poured in from the outside. Michelangelo grunted when Raphael shifted underneath him. He moved and Raphael got to his feet, stepping in front of his little brother. Two heavily armored men walked into the room, guns raised and aimed at Raphael's chest.

"Out of the way, Freak," one of the men barked at Raphael. "Bishop doesn't want you."

"Too bad," Raphael growled. "He ain't gettin' his hands on Mikey. You want him, you answer to me first."

The men looked at each other. Michelangelo hid behind his brother, his blue eyes wide with fear. One of the men put a hand to an earpiece and nodded at something someone said on the other end. He motioned to the other and they both switched the safety off on their guns.

"Raphie? What's going on?" Michelangelo asked.

"One last chance, Reptile," the man on the left hissed. "Get out of the way, or we'll make you."

Raphael remained where he was; his amber eyes narrowing dangerously into slits of golden fury. "Then go ahead," he snarled. "Make me."

The next thing he knew, Raphael was on the floor; his body convulsing from the shock from the Taser guns. The last thing he heard was Michelangelo screaming his name. He strained to open his eyes only to see the men dragging his struggling brother out of the room. He was helpless to save his baby brother. Two more men walked into the room; one was a soldier, the other a scientist. At least he had a scientist look about him; or maybe it was because he was holding a syringe that gave Raphael that impression.

"Bishop was going to use one of your other brothers," the scientist said as he knelt down beside Raphael. "But now he's interested to see what will happen with your DNA."

Before Raphael could do anything, the soldier shot him with the Taser. Raphael's body jerked and twisted with the electricity that pulsed through his nervous system. His eyes rolled back before finally closing, the last sensation he felt was the pinch of the needle as it entered his skin.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I never should have stopped working on this. But life just got in the way, as did other stories. Please forgive me.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Michelangelo fought against his captors, however, their grip was like steel. The more he fought the tighter their grip became. Michelangelo planted his feet firmly against the floor and pulled against his captor's hold on him. The humans were clearly annoyed with his attempts to escape. Michelangelo cried out in surprise when the men yanked him forward. One of the men pushed him into a laboratory, sending him to the floor. Michelangelo groaned when he hit the floor hard. He growled and looked over his shoulder as the two men walked up behind him, their guns trained on his back. Michelangelo got to his feet and fell into a fighting stance. He wasn't one to jump into a fight; that was Raphael's job, but these two were seriously ticking him off. The orange masked turtle charged forward, but didn't get very far when one of the men shot him with a Taser. Almost instantly, Michelangelo dropped back to the ground.

"Ow," he moaned when the effects of the Taser wore off. "How come that always works for Raph?"

"I thought I said he wasn't to be harmed," came an all too familiar voice.

Michelangelo groaned again and looked up, narrowing his eyes when he saw the looming figure of agent John Bishop. The soldiers grabbed Michelangelo's arms and pulled him to his feet.

"It was barely enough to stun him, sir," one of the men promised.

"Says you," Michelangelo spat. "That hurt."

Bishop walked up and put a hand under Michelangelo's chin, lifting his head so that they were looking eye to eye. The turtle glared up at the agent. Bishop smirked and let go of Michelangelo's chin.

"I can see why your brothers do all they can to protect you," Bishop said. "You're very spirited."

"Let me go and I'll show you just how spirited I can be," Michelangelo challenged.

Bishop smirked darkly. "When I'm done with you, you won't have much of a spirit left."

Michelangelo swallowed nervously and he could feel fear creep in. Bishop turned and walked towards a lab table. The soldiers followed their leader, dragging a struggling Michelangelo between them. While Bishop got to work on preparing some surgical equipment, Michelangelo was strapped down to the lab table. He immediately began fighting against the restraints. When he realized he wasn't breaking free, Michelangelo laid back and looked around the lab. Stasis tanks were stacked up against one side of the room, each one holding a nearly full grown clone. Michelangelo looked across from the lab he was strapped to and saw another lab table, this one stained with a substance he was pretty sure he didn't want to know the origin of.

"So, uh...what's with the clones?" Michelangelo asked, eyes still fixed on the stained lab table. "Still dead set on making the perfect soldier?"

"Yes. But there is only so much the DNA of you and your brothers can do," Bishop explained. "Your DNA has yet to provide me with the key to creating a stable super soldier."

"Well, you know. You win some, you lose some," Michelangelo said. "Maybe you're just not meant to have that special DNA thingy."

Bishop turned around and gave him a sinister grin. "Oh, but I will, Michelangelo. And you're going to help me."

Michelangelo eyed the scalpel Bishop's hand. "And just how is it I'm supposed to help you exactly?" he asked in a frightened voice.

"Now, if I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise," Bishop said.

* * *

Raphael woke up when he heard the doors to his cell hiss open. He cracked an eye open and saw the scientist guy and a guard walk in. Raphael closed his eye again and pretended to still be unconscious. He heard the scientist guy mention Michelangelo's name and hot anger instantly ignited in his veins. When the men were close enough, Raphael sprang into action. He jumped to his feet, taking out the doctor guy in the process. Raphael back flipped over the guard before the man had the chance to shoot him with the Taser gun. The turtle swept his foot in an arch, taking the guard's legs out from under him. Raphael grabbed the gun before the guard could and pulled the trigger. The man cried out as electricity coursed through his body.

"Not so nice when it's you getting fried, now is it?" Raphael growled.

He grabbed the guard's gun and hurried out of the cell. Raphael walked down the quiet hallway, every fibre in his body on high alert. He finally came to the end of the corridor where he was met by a set of double doors. Making sure that the gun was ready to fire, Raphael opened the doors and stepped into what he could only assume was a cloning laboratory; made obvious by the stacks of stasis tanks of nearly fully grown clones. But, he wasn't paying attention to the clones, Raphael's eyes were fixed on his baby brother's prone figure strapped to one of the two lab tables in the middle of the room.

"Mikey!" Raphael cried as he hurried forward.

He ran over to the table and immediately checked for a pulse. Raphael breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a steady pulse against his fingers. He placed the gun down on the table and began undoing the straps around his brother's wrists and ankles. He was about to pick Michelangelo up when he heard something behind him. Raphael grabbed the gun and swung around. He growled when he saw Bishop standing a few feet away, grinning smugly.

"If you had wanted to see your brother you just had to wait another few minutes and I would have given him back," Bishop said.

"Out of my way, Bishop," Raphael growled. "I'm takin' Mikey and gettin' out of this mad house."

"I think not," Bishop replied, his face becoming serious. "I still need Michelangelo."

Raphael cocked the gun and put his finger on the trigger. "I will use this," he warned.

Bishop said nothing. He just stared at the turtle. Before Raphael could do anything, his body ceased up when it was once again hit by high electricity. He collapsed in a heap on the floor. Raphael growled in pain and looked up to see Bishop standing over him, smirking darkly.

"You were saying?" Bishop asked.

Raphael could only grunt as his eyes slipped closed and everything vanished in a swirling mess of pain and agony.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Raphael groaned in pain as he began to wake up. He opened his eyes to find himself back in the pitch dark cell. He groaned again and lifted a hand to rub his eyes. Another groan echoed his and Raphael's eyes shot open. He looked around, trying to locate the direction the groan had come from. He felt around the floor and his hands brushed up against soft flesh. Raphael's heart jumped in his throat and he tried not to choke on his own breath. He shifted and scooped his brother up in his arms.

"It's okay, Mikey," Raphael said, holding his baby brother close. "It's going to be okay."

Michelangelo moaned again. "Raph?" he grunted in pain. "What...what happened?"

Raphael's heart hammered painfully against his ribs. "I'm sorry, Mikey," he apologized. "I tried to rescue you, but...Bishop got the drop on me."

Michelangelo curled into Raphael's chest. "Did you find Leo and Donnie?" he asked.

"No," Raphael replied, holding his brother close. "They weren't captured. They're still out there."

"That's good," Michelangelo murmured. He groaned. "Everything hurts."

Raphael felt his heart break. He hated seeing his baby brother in pain. "Where does it hurt?" he asked.

"My stomach, mostly," Michelangelo answered stiffly.

Raphael gently touched his brother's stomach and heard Michelangelo hiss in pain. Raphael frowned in confusion when he felt stitches. He growled low in his throat when he realized Bishop had had his hands in his baby brother's body. Michelangelo groaned in pain again. All Raphael could do was keep his brother as comfortable as he could.

"Hang in there, Mikey," Raphael whispered. "Leo and Donnie are on their way."

* * *

Donatello growled in annoyance when his search turned up nothing. He had been trying to find the location of Bishop's new base, but so far he was having no luck. He could only imagine what Bishop was doing to his brothers. He felt horrible for leaving his brothers behind, but Raphael and Michelangelo had already been taken, and Leonardo had ordered a retreat so that they wouldn't get captured as well. Donatello looked at the calendar on his desk. It had been little over two days since his brothers had been taken, and he was no closer to finding Bishop's base of operations than when he first started.

Donatello looked up when he heard footsteps pad into the lab. Leonardo walked in holding a mug of steaming coffee. He placed the mug on the desk, but Donatello made no move to pick it up.

"Still no luck?" Leonardo guessed.

Donatello shook his head. "All I can keep thinking about is what kind of torture Bishop's putting them through," he said.

"We'll find them, Don," Leonardo promised. "We'll bring them home."

"But will they be in one piece?" Donatello asked.

Leonardo smiled. "If Raph has his way, he won't let Bishop harm Mikey without a fight."

Donatello hummed in thought at his brother's words, but didn't say anything. Leonardo patted his brother on the shoulder.

"We'll find them," he said. "We just have to keep searching. Bishop's good at covering his tracks, but he's not that good."

"Except this time, he is," Donatello replied. "He destroyed Raph's and Mikey's shell cells, so we can't track them through those. We have no way of tapping into Bishop's communications array, so that's out of the question. It's like they dropped off the face of the earth."

"No one truly disappears," Leonardo said. "Bishop will slip up, and when he does we'll be ready."

Donatello sighed. "I just hope we still have brothers to rescue by that time."

* * *

Two weeks later...

"I can't take it anymore!" Michelangelo screamed. "Why doesn't Bishop just put me out of my misery?!"

Raphael sat in silence, not being able to say anything that would offer his brother comfort. Nothing he could say would take Michelangelo's pain away. His baby brother was going mad from the constant pain that plagued him, and Bishop offered nothing in the way of painkillers. The sick psycho probably enjoyed watching them suffer.

Michelangelo crawled into his brother's arms, burying his face in Raphael's shoulder and whimpered. "It hurts, Raphie. It hurts so much."

Raphael put his arms around his baby brother. "I know, Mikey. If I could take it away I would."

"Is this what it feels like to die?" Michelangelo asked. "If it is, dying isn't worth it."

"I don't think you're dyin', Bro," Raphael said.

"Sure feels like it," Michelangelo muttered stiffly. He whimpered in pain. "Where are Leo and Donnie? Shouldn't they have found us by now?"

Raphael rubbed his brother's back and sighed. "I don't know, Mikey," he answered truthfully. "Maybe it's taking them a while to find where we are."

Michelangelo tightened his grip around his stomach. "How long have we been here?"

"Too long," Raphael replied. "But, they're lookin'. They won't give up on us."

Michelangelo groaned in pain. "It may just be you they rescue. I don't think I'll live to see tomorrow."

"You're going to live, Mikey," Raphael assured his brother. There was a short silence. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

Michelangelo looked up at him. "Seriously? You're asking me this _now_?" he said in pained disbelief. "Insensitive much? Do you not hear me screaming?"

"How bad?" Raphael repeated.

"It's a twenty," Michelangelo answered sharply. "How bad do you think it is? They can probably hear me screaming all the way out in Singapore."

He groaned in pain and curled up into a ball, trying to relieve some of the pain in his stomach. Raphael rubbed his brother's back. He wished he knew what Bishop did to his brother. Sadly, all he could determine was that Bishop had played around with Michelangelo's insides and that's what was causing him so much pain. Raphael just didn't know to what extent the tampering was.

Michelangelo hit his fist against the wall as he leaned up against it, placing his forehead against the cold metal. He squeezed his eyes tight against the tears of pain that stung his eyes. Where were Leonardo and Donatello? Why hadn't they come? How hard was it to find one madman's base? Then again, this was Bishop they were talking about. He wasn't going to be found so easily.

_Hurry up, guys,_ Michelangelo prayed as tears began to stream down his face._ I don't know how much more of this I can take._

* * *

Donatello was jerked awake when an alarm went off on his computer. He bolted up in his chair, eyes wide, vision blurry. He rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them and studied the computer screen. One of the satellites he had planted around the city had picked up on a foreign signal. Donatello typed away on the keyboard and several other screens popped up. His eyes scanned each page for useful information. He continued typing and an image popped up. A wicked grin spread across Donatello's face.

"Gotcha," he said.

Donatello jumped up from the chair, grabbing his duffel bag and staff as he went. Leonardo was out in the main area of the lair practicing katas when Donatello ran up.

"Wheels up in two," Donatello announced as he ran for the elevator.

Leonardo sheathed his swords and followed his brother. "You found something?" he asked.

The elevator doors opened and the brothers made their way inside. "You were right, Leo," Donatello said. "Bishop slipped up. Those tracking satellites I built and placed around the city picked up on one of Bishop's vans."

Leonardo felt joy wash through his veins. "Don," he whispered. "You did it!"

The elevator door opened and the brothers ran for the Battle Shell. Donatello climbed in behind the wheel while Leonardo took the passenger's seat. The engine roared to life and Donatello punched in the coordinates of the location of Bishop's van. He hit to accelerator and the Battle Shell shot out of the warehouse. Finally, after two weeks of searching, Raphael and Michelangelo were within arm's reach.

* * *

"Why me?" Michelangelo mumbled, his voice strained with pain.

He lay on his back on the floor with his head resting on Raphael's leg. Raphael had his right hand on his brother's chest and the other was rubbing Michelangelo's head.

"Dunno," Raphael replied. "Just lucky, I guess."

"That had better have been sarcasm," Michelangelo warned.

Raphael smiled. "It was, Mikey, don't worry. No one is lucky when it comes to Bishop. Unless it's the guy who's wringin' his neck, then that guy is lucky."

Michelangelo couldn't help but grin. "Yeah," he agreed. "And right now, I would love to get my hands on Bishop's neck."

Raphael chuckled. "I don't blame you."

Michelangelo's smile faded as pain stabbed his stomach. "Leo and Don had better hurry up. I can't take much more of this."

Raphael patted his brother's shoulder. "They'll come. And when they do we'll kick Bishop's sorry butt."

"And then things can go back to normal," Michelangelo added.

Raphael didn't say anything. He didn't know why, but he got the feeling that things would never be normal again; especially if Bishop was involved.

* * *

Donatello parked the Battle Shell in a secluded area just outside the base's perimeter. The engine was cut and Leonardo and Donatello climbed out into the cool night air. Donatello took out a pair binoculars from his duffel and looked through them, scanning the base's security. Guards walked around outside and inside the fenced off area. The gate only opened for people and vehicles with the correct passcode. Donatello hummed as he went through several options to how they were going to get in and out of the base without being detected. They didn't know in what kind of shape Raphael and Michelangelo were in, so getting out was going to be trickier than getting in.

"What's the plan, Donnie?" Leonardo whispered.

"Working on it," Donatello replied. He hummed in thought again. "What we need is a distraction. Something to lure the attention away from us so that we can get in."

"We have the Battle Shell," Leonardo suggested.

Donatello shook his head. "That will only attract a small number, and we need all of them."

"Then we'll give them something they just can't pass up," Leonardo said.

Donatello looked over at him. "Leo, have you been eating out of Raph's bowl? Only he would jump into a fray with the odds stacked against him."

"If you got a better plan, I'm all for it," Leonardo said.

Donatello looked through the binoculars again. He zoomed in on a van that was approaching the gate. A smirk spread across his face.

"Time for a little Storm Trooper action," he said.

* * *

Raphael and Michelangelo were awakened an hour later by the sound of the cell doors hissing open. Three guards walked into the cell. Raphael shifted so that he was blocking Michelangelo from the guard's view. All three of the men aimed their guns at him.

"Out of the way, Freak," one of the guards ordered.

"Make me," Raphael dared.

Michelangelo put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "No, Raph. It's not worth you getting shot again."

"I ain't lettin' 'em take you," Raphael growled.

"Raphie, I'll be fine," Michelangelo assured his brother. "Bishop hasn't seriously hurt me."

"Yet," Raphael added. "Need I remind you that he had his hands in your insides?"

Michelangelo put a hand over the scars on his stomach. "If he was going to hurt me, he would have done it by now," he pointed out. At Raphael's glare he added, "I'm not saying I trust Bishop. It's far from that. I just don't like seeing you get shot every time these guys come to get me."

"I'd listen to your brother if I were you, reptile," another guard said to Raphael.

Raphael growled. "Shut up!" he snapped.

"Raph, please," Michelangelo pleaded. "You can't keep getting yourself electrocuted. It's not good for your heart."

"Yes, Donnie," Raphael grumbled. He growled again, not liking his options.

"I'll be fine, Raph," Michelangelo said. "Bishop puts me under before he does anything."

"That doesn't help, Mikey," Raphael replied. "That just means you don't know what's going on and we're left with more questions then answers when you come back with new scars." The guards cocked their weapons and Raphael snarled. "If you're gonna shoot, shoot. 'Cause I ain't movin'."

"Fine by me," the first guard said.

"Raph, no!" Michelangelo cried as the guards all fired their Tasers.

Raphael collapsed to the floor in a twitching heap. Two of the guards grabbed Michelangelo and pulled him to his feet while the third kept his gun trained on Raphael. When the other two guards were safely out of the cell, the third one went to see if anyone was around before running back to where Raphael was lying.

"Raph, you okay, Bro?"

Raphael groaned in pain and strained to look up. "Donnie?" he breathed. "That you?"

The guard pulled off the helmet to reveal his purple masked brother. Raphael sighed in relief when he saw Donatello's smiling face.

"Took ya long enough," Raphael grunted. "Where's Leo?"

"Going after Mikey," Donatello answered. He put the helmet back on and helped Raphael to his feet. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

Raphael grunted again and he put an arm around his abdomen. The brothers made their way out of the cell and headed out for the entrance of the base. Meanwhile, Leonardo was having a difficult time keeping his cover as he watched Bishop take his little brother away from him and into a restricted lab. He had to settle for waiting outside with the other guard. He had commandeered a van with Donatello which was headed inside the base. They had knocked out the two guards and had donned their uniforms; after hiding the two men in a cluster of trees so they wouldn't be noticed right away. After that, it had been a simple task of following orders from another guard to help transport one of the Turtles to Bishop's lab.

Leonardo felt awful about having to shoot his own brother, but if he hadn't, he would have blown his and Donatello's cover. Raphael would forgive him...eventually. Leonardo tried not to squirm as he waited for Bishop to finish whatever it was he was doing. He hated the thought of his baby brother being in the hands of one their most sadistic enemies.

After what seemed like an eternity, the lab doors finally opened and Bishop called Leonardo and the other guard inside. They walked into the lab and Leonardo felt his heart leap up into his throat when he saw Michelangelo lying unconscious on a lab table. However, it didn't look like he was hurt. With the help from the other guard, Leonardo picked his brother up and the two of them made their way back to the cell. Leonardo knew that once they reached the cell he was going to have to act fast in order to get himself and his brother out safely.

They reached the cell and the guard paused outside. Leonardo remained silent as the man stepped inside the cell and looked around. Before the guard could do or say anything, Leonardo raised his gun and shot the guard in the back with the Taser. The guard went down instantly. Using the key card that he had taken from the guard in the van earlier, Leonardo closed and locked the door of the cell. He shifted Michelangelo over his shoulders and hurried towards the base's entrance.

* * *

Donatello examined Raphael for any injuries. His red masked brother was sporting several burn marks from the various Taser shots he had taken, but other than that, he seemed to be fine. Raphael hadn't spoken much since they had gotten back to the Battle Shell, and Donatello was worried that there could be some psychological damage. However, before Donatello got the chance to ask Raphael if he was okay, the back doors opened. Upon seeing a guard with his baby brother, Raphael instantly shot to his feet and was about to attack, but Donatello grabbed him and pulled him back.

"How did you find us?" Raphael demanded. "Let Mikey go!"

"Ease up, Raph," came Leonardo's voice from under the guard helmet. The guard took off the helmet, revealing green skin and a blue mask. "It's me."

Seeing his eldest brother, Raphael began to calm down. However, realization replaced the relief and Leonardo knew he was in for it.

"You shot me!" Raphael yelled as Leonardo climbed into the back of the van with Michelangelo in tow.

"Had no choice," Leonardo replied while carefully setting Michelangelo down on the floor and closing the back doors.

"Bet you loved that," Raphael accused.

"Whether I enjoyed shooting you or not isn't relevant right now. What's important is that we get you and Mikey back home," Leonardo explained.

With a nod and grunt from Raphael, Donatello released him and stepped back. Leonardo climbed in behind the wheel and turned the Battle Shell on. Raphael sat down and settled in for the long drive back home. It felt so surreal. After spending two weeks in Bishop's clutches they were finally going home; back to where it was safe and secure, hidden away from mad scientists and psycho agents. Back to where they could be a family again, and where everything made sense and there were no surprises.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Donatello knocked on the bathroom door. Michelangelo had been occupying the bathroom for a good forty-five minutes and Donatello was getting worried. Leonardo and Raphael were out to April's getting food and supplies. So that left Donatello to tend to his ailing baby brother. Michelangelo had been sick for the last couple of weeks since they escaped Bishop's base, and Leonardo was worried that it could be something serious. However, Donatello kept saying that it was probably nothing more than a stomach flu. Donatello knocked on the door again and was answered by his brother's dry heaving.

"I'm dying," Michelangelo groaned.

"You're not dying, Mikey," Donatello reasoned. "It's probably just a stomach bug."

"I caught a Bishop virus and now I'm dying," Michelangelo continued, ignoring his brother.

Donatello sighed and hung his head. "There's no such thing as a 'Bishop virus'," he said.

"I see a bright light. Is that you, Mom? I hear a voice beckoning me to the other side. Good bye, Donnie. It's been swell."

Donatello shook his head. "Quit goofing around, Mikey and open the door," he said impatiently.

A couple seconds later the door opened to reveal a sickly green looking Michelangelo. "No respect for the sick and dying," the orange masked turtle muttered.

Donatello felt his patience thinning. "For the last time, Mikey, you're not dying."

"How do you know?" Michelangelo shot back. "I picked up something from Bishop. How else do you explain why I've been so sick for the last couple weeks?"

"There's a nasty stomach flu going around," Donatello replied. "You probably picked it up on one of our training runs from someone."

Michelangelo gave his brother a dead pan look. "How is that supposed to make me feel better?" he asked.

Donatello sighed. "Fine. I'll take a blood sample and run some tests. That'll prove that you're not dying."

Michelangelo's face brightened. "Really, Donnie? Thank you!" He threw his arms around his brother. "You're a life saver. Quite literally probably."

"Whatever," Donatello muttered. "Come into my lab and I'll get started."

Michelangelo released his brother and ran for the lab. Donatello followed Michelangelo into the lab and got to work on preparing a blood sample to test. He took out a clean syringe and sterilized the crook of Michelangelo's elbow where he was going to insert the needle. Michelangelo winced slightly at the slight pinch when the needle was inserted in his skin. Donatello extracted three vials of blood before removing the syringe and placing a bandage over the small needle hole. He taped off the bandage and picked up the vials.

"This is going to take some time, so you might as well make yourself busy," Donatello said.

Michelangelo gave his brother the thumbs up and jumped up from the chair. As Michelangelo disappeared around the corner, Donatello got to work on assessing the blood samples. It took the good part of the afternoon to test the samples. Donatello had to check and double check and even triple check the results. By the time he was doing a fourth check, Leonardo and Raphael had returned from their run and were putting the groceries away. Donatello sat in stunned silence for a few minutes, his eyes staring at the piece of paper in his hand. There was no way. It wasn't possible. Yet there it was, staring him in the face.

"You still alive in here?" Michelangelo asked, poking his head around the corner. He became concerned when he saw the look on Donatello's face. He stepped into the lab and walked over to his brother. "Hey, Don? What is it? Why do you look paler than me?"

"It's not possible," Donatello murmured in stunned disbelief.

"What's not possible?" Michelangelo wanted to know. "Am I really dying?"

Donatello slowly shook his head. "Far from it," he replied.

Michelangelo looked down at the paper in his brother's hands, but nothing made sense to him. "Talk to me, Donnie. What's happening?"

Donatello finally looked up to meet Michelangelo's fearful gaze. "I don't know how, but, you're..." He swallowed thickly.

"I'm what?" Michelangelo urged.

"Pregnant," Donatello whispered.

Michelangelo blinked a couple of times in stunned disbelief. "I'm what?" he asked dully.

"It's not possible," Donatello said again. "It goes against the very law of nature. There's just no way."

Michelangelo held up his hands in a T shape. "Time out, Donnie. I didn't catch that last bit. Mind repeating it?"

"You're going to have a baby, Mikey," Donatello said.

The meaning of his brother's words began to sink in. "Cool," Michelangelo said.

"Cool?!" Donatello exclaimed. "How is this 'cool'?"

"Just wait until Leo and Raph hears," Michelangelo went on.

He headed for the door. Donatello shot up from the chair to stop him, but Michelangelo was already out the door.

"Mikey, wait!" Donatello called after his brother.

Michelangelo ran into the kitchen where Leonardo and Raphael were putting away the food. "Guys, you're not going to believe this!" he said.

"Believe what?" Raphael asked, looking up from putting something in the fridge.

"I'm going to have a baby!" Michelangelo announced.

Leonardo and Raphael stared at their brother for a minute before bursting out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Michelangelo frowned in confusion.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You? Having a baby?" Raphael said through bouts of laughter.

Leonardo tried to catch his breath. "You can't be having a baby, Mikey."

"Who says?" Michelangelo wanted to know.

"Uh...nature?" Leonardo replied.

Michelangelo still looked confused. Raphael managed to get his laughter under control enough to speak.

"Put it in words he understands, Leo," the red masked turtle said.

Leonardo tapped his fingers together. "You can't be having a baby because you don't the right...parts for it. You're a male, Mikey, and males aren't designed to carry young."

"But Donny says I_ am_ having a baby," Michelangelo protested.

"Well, then Donnie's just as insane as you are," Raphael said.

"How do you think I feel?" Donatello asked, walking into the kitchen. "I've spent years studying our anatomy to better treat injuries. I've spent my life studying the evolution of our planet. Learned the differences between male and female species. Females bore the young, males just...helped it along. But now...after seeing this? What's next? Up is down? Down is up? And gravity is just something someone made up in their head?"

Leonardo and Raphael looked at each other before turning to look back at their younger brothers. There was no way Donatello would make something like this up; he wasn't the practical joke type of turtle.

"So this whole 'Mikey is going to have a baby' thing...it's real?" Leonardo asked slowly.

"As real as turtles have shells," Donatello answered.

The brothers fell into an awkward silence for a few minutes before Leonardo spoke.

"How?" the leader asked.

"How what?" Donatello asked back.

Leonardo pointed at Michelangelo's stomach. "How did _this_ happen?"

Donatello became thoughtful for a moment. "From what I can tell, Bishop must have implanted Mikey with the necessary organ for him to be able to carry young," he explained. "My guess would be that Bishop used Mikey's cells to grow it, so that's why his body isn't rejecting it."

"And the egg?" Raphael asked.

Donatello sighed. "Well, there was only one other turtle besides Mikey held captive," he pointed out.

Leonardo looked at his red masked brother. Raphael held up his hands defensively.

"I did not touch Mikey in that way," he said.

Michelangelo blinked in confusion before realization sank in. "Ew," he commented, frowning in disgust.

"You're misinterpreting what I'm saying," Donatello spoke up. "Raph, you fertilized the egg without even knowing."

"How?" Raphael asked. Then he remembered the man with the needle. His eyes narrowed and he growled. "That little..."

"There's one thing I don't get," Leonardo put in. "Where did the egg come from?"

Donatello hummed deep in thought. "Bishop could have used a normal turtle egg, but he used Mikey's and Raph's DNA to make it to his specifications. Kind of like Dolly the sheep, only with turtles...and all guys."

Michelangelo put his hands on his stomach. "So, I have a little Dolly the turtle inside me?" he asked.

"Yes," Donatello answered.

Leonardo shook his head in disbelief. "This was not how I imagined becoming an uncle."

"Forget uncle," Raphael said. "I didn't think this was how I was going to become a father."

"So, if Raph's the Dad, does that make me the Mom?" Michelangelo asked, confused. "How does that work?"

Donatello shrugged. "Well, you'd be a mother figure because you carried the egg. That's how I see it, anyway."

"Another thing," Raphael said.

"Yes?" Donatello asked.

"Why Mikey?" Raphael wanted to know. "What makes him so special?"

"Hey!" Michelangelo protested.

Raphael raised his hands. "Not sayin' anythin' bad against ya, Bro," he defended himself.

Donatello hummed deep in thought again, rubbing his chin. "It could be because of Mikey's flexibility. Also, Mikey has a thinner plastron and has more elasticity than yours, Raph. So maybe that's why Bishop chose Mikey to bear the egg."

"So, why have I been so sick?" Michelangelo asked.

"It's morning sickness," Donatello answered. "It's perfectly normal during pregnancy. However..."

The others became concerned when Donatello trailed off. "However?" Leonardo echoed.

"Morning sickness isn't the only thing that comes with pregnancy," Donatello said slowly. "There's worse."

"Worse?" Michelangelo echoed. "What could be worse than stomach cramps and morning sickness?"

A tiny smirk played with the corner of Donatello's mouth. Should he tell his brother, or let him find out for himself? Donatello ran a hand over his mouth to try to hide the smirk, but he just burst out into a fit of laughter. The others looked at him like he was going crazy.

"I think this whole thing has finally fried his brain," Raphael commented.

Donatello walked over to his hot-headed brother and patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck, Raphie," he said. "Trust me, you're going to need it." Donatello walked back to Michelangelo and put a hand on his shoulder. "And you're going to need a lot of tissues in the near future. Just as a heads up."

"Okay," Michelangelo said, completely confused.

Donatello left the kitchen, grinning like a madman. If he was correct in his assumption, this was going to be very entertaining...for him at least.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

As the weeks went by, Donatello kept a close watch on the developing egg inside Michelangelo's stomach. The good news was the egg was developing normally; the bad news was the hormonal imbalance had kicked in. Donatello locked himself in his lab and Leonardo would disappear into the dojo for hours on end, so that left Raphael to tend to the hormonal Michelangelo. He could handle his brother having the odd food craving, that wasn't so bad. However, his problems started when he was watching TV with Michelangelo and a paper towel commercial came on. Raphael slowly looked over at his brother when he heard sniffling.

"You okay, Mikey?" Raphael asked in concern.

"It's so sad," Michelangelo sobbed.

"What is?" Raphael wanted to know.

Michelangelo blew his nose in a tissue. "That kid was enjoying a glass of juice and he tipped it over."

Raphael closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He tried very hard not to groan in annoyance. He knew it wasn't his brother's fault. Although, Donatello could have given them a better heads up on what was going to happen. Sure, Donatello was around; checking on Michelangelo every now and then to see if he was having any pain or discomfort, but he could at least help out when the hormones kicked in. Raphael wondered how human males could put up with pregnant females for nine months straight. It was only a few weeks into Michelangelo's pregnancy and Raphael was just about ready to strangle his baby brother. He cried over the most insignificant things; such as the paper towel commercial.

Raphael reached over and patted his brother on the shoulder. "It's okay, Mikey," he said in a comforting manner. "That's what the paper towel is there for."

"But then that has to get dirty," Michelangelo whined.

_Keep it together, Raph,_ Raphael told himself. "That's what's supposed to happen," he said.

Michelangelo sniffled. "Why do they have to put such sad commercials on the air?" he asked.

"I'll be right back," Raphael said, getting up from the couch.

He left Michelangelo in the living room and headed for Donatello's lab. The purple masked turtle was examining some blood samples he had taken from Michelangelo earlier that day.

"Having fun?" the genius turtle asked, without looking up from the microscope.

"Why am I stuck babysittin' Mikey?" Raphael wanted to know. "And why didn't you warn us of this sooner?"

Donatello grinned. "I thought you'd want to spend some quality time with your kid," he said. "And as for not warning you sooner, this was much more entertaining."

"Mikey cries at everythin'," Raphael said.

"That's the hormones," Donatello told him. "Just wait until the mood swings."

Raphael felt his heart drop. "Mood swings?" he repeated fearfully.

Donatello glanced up at his brother and smiled devilishly. "Welcome to parenthood, Raphie."

"Raphie," Michelangelo called from the living room. "Where'd you go?" His voice began to tremble. "Why did you leave me all alone?"

Raphael ran a hand over his face. "How much longer will this go on?" he asked. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Another month, two at most," Donatello answered. "The egg is growing faster than a normal turtle egg. Which isn't surprising since it was fertilized with mutated DNA."

"I have to put up with hormonal Mikey for two more months?" Raphael groaned. "Just put me out of my misery."

Donatello chuckled lightly. "Well, how do you think Mikey feels? He's the one carrying the egg," he said. "This is just as new for him as it is for you...for any of us. You're the best choice to look after Mikey because you're the father...one of the fathers."

"And what makes you think I'm not going to go berserk and kill Mikey before he brings this egg to term?" Raphael asked.

"Because then you'd not only be killing a brother, but a son or daughter as well," Donatello pointed out.

Raphael thought about it for a moment before he growled. "I hate it when you make sense."

Donatello smiled. "It'll all be over soon, Raph," he said. "Hang in there."

Raphael headed for the door. "You're not the one putting up with Mikey twenty-four seven," he grumbled.

Chuckling to himself, Donatello went back to studying the blood sample. Raphael walked back out to the living room. He stepped up to the couch but found it empty. Frowning, Raphael checked around the couch to see if his brother was hiding, but Michelangelo was nowhere to be seen. Raphael made his way into the kitchen, but Michelangelo wasn't there either. He refrained from calling out, not wanting to alert Leonardo and Donatello that their baby brother was missing. Raphael checked the bathroom with the same result.

Trying not to panic, Raphael headed upstairs and checked the bedrooms. He looked into Michelangelo's room and his eyes widened in horror. His baby brother was curled into a ball on the floor. Raphael ran over and dropped to his knees beside his brother. Michelangelo had his arms clenched around his stomach and his face was twisted in pain.

"Mikey? Talk to me, Bro," Raphael said.

"I'm dying," Michelangelo groaned. "How do human women do this?"

Raphael breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm pretty sure they have a different kind of pain than you're having," he said.

Michelangelo cracked an eye open. "How?" he asked.

"They have another person inside them, not an egg," Raphael replied, going on what he had read in one of Donatello's science books. "They have feet kicking their insides to contend with."

Michelangelo curled into a tighter ball and moan in pain. "Lucky them," he groaned.

Raphael picked his brother up and headed out of the room. "Come on, we'll have Donnie check you out and then we'll go back to watching TV."

"Can I just curl up and die, instead?" Michelangelo asked.

Raphael smiled gently. "You're not going to die, Mikey. Donnie said this was all normal." Michelangelo glared at him. "Semi-normal," Raphael corrected himself. "You're going to be fine. Just take it easy for the next little while."

"How long is a while?" Michelangelo asked.

Raphael hesitated. "Uh...one...two months," he replied.

"Two months?!" Michelangelo cried. "I'm going to be like this for two months?!"

"Be thankful you weren't born a human girl and be like it for nine months," Raphael pointed out.

Michelangelo considered his brother's argument. "Right," he mumbled.

Raphael patted his brother's back. "We'll make it through this, Mikey. You and me." He held up his hand. "Right?"

Michelangelo grasped his brother's hand and smiled. "Right," he said.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Leonardo came out of the dojo after a long, rigorous training session to find Donatello standing in front of the couch. Frowning slightly in puzzlement, Leonardo made his way over to the couch. Donatello motioned for him to stand next to him. Leonardo went over to where his brother was standing and looked down; a smile immediately crossing his face. Raphael and Michelangelo were both out cold on the couch. Raphael was sitting up with his head against the back cushion while Michelangelo was curled up in a ball with his head resting on his brother's leg. Raphael had an arm draped over Michelangelo's shoulder.

There was the click of a camera and Leonardo looked over to see Donatello snap a picture of their two sleeping brothers. The brother in blue chuckled softly, not wanting to wake Raphael and Michelangelo up. The youngest stirred and moaned in his sleep, cuddling further into Raphael, but not waking up. Leonardo and Donatello walked off, not wanting to disturb their brothers. Donatello headed into his lab with Leonardo right behind him. When he was in the room, Leonardo closed the door behind him. Donatello went over to his desk and placed the camera inside a drawer.

"How long have they been asleep?" Leonardo asked.

Donatello shrugged. "Long enough for me to find them and take that picture," he replied.

Leonardo couldn't stop smiling. "Don't let Raph see that picture. He'd destroy the camera."

"And deny it ever happened," Donatello added.

Leonardo chuckled. "He's really taken to this father thing quickly."

"If Raph is like this now, can you imagine what he's going to be like when the egg arrives?" Donatello asked. "Parental instincts on overload."

"He won't let us anywhere near that kid," Leonardo said, still smiling.

"Well, he's going to have to," Donatello said. "We have just as much right to be in that child's life as he does. After all, we are the uncles."

Leonardo crossed his arms. "Thinking of spoiling the kid, Donnie?" he asked.

"As an uncle I have every right to spoil my future niece or nephew," Donatello explained. He hummed in thought. "Which reminds me, I wonder if Mikey will be willing to allow me to check to see if it's going to be a boy or a girl."

"Let's wait until Raph and Mikey wake up on their own. I don't think they'd want to know that we've seen them," Leonardo said.

Donatello laughed. "Yeah, maybe you're right." He smiled. "Can you believe that we're soon going to be uncles?"

"It's surreal," Leonardo agreed. His smile faded and he sighed sadly. "If only Master Splinter could be here. He'd be a grandfather."

Donatello smiled sadly. "Yeah," he said softly. "But, this isn't the time to be sad. It's a happy time, and sensei would want us to enjoy this moment."

"Now if only we can keep Mikey in one piece until the egg arrives," Leonardo put in.

"Mikey will be fine," Donatello said. "He's tough. Plus, he has Raph watching his back. We're going to welcome this child into the world with open arms."

* * *

Bishop walked into the tech division of the base where technicians were working non-stop in trying to find the Turtles and their lair. He walked over to the tech division leader.

"Report," Bishop ordered.

The man gave Bishop a quick salute. "We have units scouring the city for any trace of the Turtles," he explained. "However, they haven't been able to pick up anything. There's no sign of them, sir. It's like they vanished into thin air."

Bishop narrowed his eyes. "They're out there," he said. "Donatello has just made sure we wouldn't be able to find them. Keep searching. Go through their human contacts if you have to, just find me those mutants."

"Yes, sir," the man replied.

* * *

"I feel like a beached whale," Michelangelo complained.

"You look it, too," Raphael commented.

Michelangelo glared at his brother. It was four weeks into his pregnancy and he was beginning to show. His stomach bulged out and it was starting to get in the way of him doing things. Currently, he was stretched out on the couch with his head resting on a pillow and feet propped up on Raphael's leg. They were watching a movie where the main character, a male scientist, became pregnant to test a drug him and his research partner were developing. Michelangelo forgot the reason why they were watching the movie. It was probably Raphael's way of trying to cheer him up. So far, all it did was make Michelangelo cry every time he saw a pregnant woman.

"Insensitive much?" Michelangelo asked.

"You're my brother, I'm allowed to poke fun," Raphael said.

"I also have my foot near your crotch," Michelangelo pointed out. "You might want to think about what you say if you don't want a kick to your manhood."

"Touchy," Raphael commented.

Michelangelo lifted his foot. "I mean it, Raph," he warned.

Raphael sighed. _And here come the mood swings,_ he thought. "Alright, I'm sorry," he apologized.

Michelangelo lowered his foot and went back to watching the movie. Raphael propped his elbow up on the arm rest and rested his chin in his palm. Father or not, why did he have to be the one to watch Michelangelo twenty-four seven? Leonardo and Donatello were just as capable of taking care of their baby brother as he was. Raphael glanced over towards Donatello's lab. A couple days ago, Donatello had come forward and asked Michelangelo if he wanted to know the gender of the baby. Of course, Michelangelo had said yes, so Donatello did some tests. A few hours later he had come back and announced that they were expecting a baby girl. That had been the last time Michelangelo was in a good mood.

Raphael bit back a growl of annoyance when Michelangelo suddenly kicked him. He turned to see his brother trying to get comfortable. Michelangelo's face was twisted in pain and Raphael felt bad for being annoyed. His brother couldn't help being annoying when he was constantly in pain. The bigger the egg grew, the more pressure it placed on organs that weren't meant to have stress placed on. Raphael refrained from saying anything in fear of being kicked.

"This is so not fair," Michelangelo moaned in distress.

"Donnie says it shouldn't be long now," Raphael said. "You're almost done, Mikey. Hang in there."

"This egg can't come fast enough," Michelangelo grunted.

Raphael thought for a moment. "Ya know, you haven't picked out a name, yet," he pointed out.

Michelangelo rubbed his swollen belly. "I can't decide," he said. "There's so many names, I can't pick just one." A loving look washed over his face. "It can't be just any name. It has to be special, because she's special."

Raphael felt a smile play with the corner of his mouth. "She's certainly that," he agreed.

"She's going to be the best little ninja ever," Michelangelo continued. "Aren't ya, girl? Yeah, and I'll show you all the right pranks to pull on Daddy."

Raphael reached over and put his hand on his brother's stomach. "And I'll show ya how to get back at Mommy for pulling said pranks," he said with a smile.

Michelangelo looked up to meet Raphael's gaze and smiled. Raphael smiled back. "We're going to make good parents, aren't we, Raph?" Michelangelo asked.

"The best," Raphael replied.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Please forgive the lateness of this chapter. I've been super busy with work and life in general that I've had little to no time to write. Some of you have asked if this was going to be t-cest. No, it will not be. There will just be moments of brotherly fluff and bonding but nothing more than that. With that said, enjoy the chapter.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

"How is she, Donnie?" Michelangelo asked.

Donatello examined the test results for a moment before looking at his brother. "Everything checks out. The egg is fine. Things are normal."

Michelangelo smiled as he rubbed his swollen belly. He knew that everything was okay, but the soon-to-be parent in him naturally worried about the well being of the precious life inside him. What made him even more worried was that one night while he had been up getting something to eat, Michelangelo had over heard Leonardo and Donatello talking in the lab. Donatello was saying that he had picked up signs of activity from Bishop and that it looked like Bishop was looking for them. Michelangelo feared that Bishop was after the egg. He had immediately gone to Raphael about it. His red masked brother made him a promise that Bishop was never getting his hands on the egg, he would make sure of that.

"You're free to go," Donatello said with a smile.

Michelangelo got up from the chair and walked out of the lab. He made his way out into the main area of the lair, heading over to the TV area. Raphael was stretched out on the couch, an arm draped over his eyes and snoring softly. Michelangelo chuckled and walked off, not wanting to wake his brother. Raphael hadn't been sleeping well the last few nights, but he never said what it was that was bothering him. Michelangelo figured he was just as worried about Bishop's activities as he was, thinking about why the madman wanted the precious life of their daughter.

Michelangelo walked into the dojo to find Leonardo sitting in the middle of the room, deep in meditation. The orange masked turtle was just starting to back out of the dojo when Leonardo opened his eyes and looked up at him.

"Stop being creepy," Michelangelo said.

Leonardo frowned in confusion. "How am I being creepy?" he asked.

"How do you do that? I wasn't making any noise," Michelangelo said.

"I sensed you coming into the room," Leonardo replied. "Plus, your breathing was erratic."

"You could hear my breathing?" Michelangelo asked.

Leonardo smiled. "You can do anything when you focus your mind," he said.

"The only thing I can focus on is food," Michelangelo replied. "But besides that, I can't focus on much else."

Leonardo bit his bottom lip to keep from grinning. Michelangelo glared at him.

"What?" the youngest asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Leonardo replied, closing his eyes again.

"You're trying to keep yourself from saying something. What is it?" Michelangelo pressed.

A chuckle caught in Leonardo's throat, but he still managed to speak. "Well, Donnie did tell me that human women, when they're pregnant, tend to lose brain cells."

Michelangelo crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you saying?" he asked.

At that moment, Donatello walked up. "He's saying that maybe the reason why you can't focus on anything is because you're losing brain cells," the resident genius replied. He looked over at Leonardo. "But, really, how is that different from before?"

"Hey!" Michelangelo yelled.

There was a snorted laugh from the couch area, followed by a cough. The cough then turned into laughter. Michelangelo felt his face burn.

"Why are you guys so mean?" he grumbled as he stalked away.

"We're just having a bit of fun, Mikey," Donatello called after him.

"But, then again, Mikey's emotional state is fragile, at the moment," Leonardo said. "We should be more careful what we say around him."

Donatello sighed. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'll go talk to him and apologize."

Leonardo nodded as Donatello walked off towards Michelangelo's room where his brother had disappeared. A few minutes later, Raphael appeared in the doorway of the dojo. Leonardo cracked an eye open.

"Wasn't expecting to see you up so soon," the brother in blue commented.

"Couldn't sleep with all the noise," Raphael said.

"Sounded like you enjoyed Donnie's baby brain comment, though," Leonardo told him, opening the other eye. "You were having quite the laugh for yourself."

Raphael shrugged. "I never miss the opportunity to pick on Mikey," he said. "Even though, like you said, we have to be careful what we say around him because of his mood swings and all that."

"And to think we have two more months of this," Leonardo put in.

"Yay," Raphael said sarcastically.

Leonardo smiled. "But, just think how much more fulfilling our lives are going to be when the baby comes," he said. "Things are never going to be the same again."

"Yeah," Raphael said distractedly.

"Have you and Mikey decided on a name?" Leonardo asked.

"We've talked about it. But, we haven't decided on a name," Raphael answered.

Leonardo nodded. "Any favorites?" he questioned.

"We both really like the name Mackenzie," Raphael said. "But, we were also thinking about the name Tang Shen."

"Name her after Master Yoshi's first love?" Leonardo guessed.

Raphael nodded. "But, I told Mikey the choice was his," he replied. "I think he's waiting for the egg to come to tell me what name he's picked."

Leonardo nodded again. "This is probably going to be one secret he'll be able to keep."

"Yeah," Raphael said in that distracted tone again. "Probably."

* * *

Michelangelo looked down at several pieces of brightly colored cloth that were spread out on his bed. There was a knock on the bedroom door. He sighed, not wanting to be disturbed, but also knew that whoever it was wasn't going to leave him alone.

"Come in," Michelangelo called.

The door opened and Donatello walked in, closing the door behind him. "How are you doing?" he asked.

Michelangelo shrugged, but didn't answer. Donatello walked over to the bed and sat down. He looked down at the pieces of cloth.

"What are you doing?" Donatello asked.

"Trying to decide on a mask color," Michelangelo replied. "But, none of these colors seem right, to me."

Donatello studied the cloth. The colors ranged from baby blue to pink to crimson red. He hummed in thought.

"Well, what were you thinking?" Donatello asked.

"I want something that's kind of like a mixture of both mine and Raph's masks," Michelangelo replied.

Donatello nodded. "I see," he said. "Like Spanish or burnt orange?"

"Yeah," Michelangelo replied.

"Hang on, one second," Donatello said.

He got up and disappeared out of the room. A minute later he returned with a piece of dark orange cloth. Michelangelo's eyes lit up.

"That's perfect!" he declared.

Donatello walked over to the bed and held the cloth out. "Orange like yours, dark in shade like Raph's," he said.

"It's perfect," Michelangelo stated again.

Donatello smiled. "I had hoped you would like it," he said.

Michelangelo hugged the piece of cloth to his chest. "She's going to love this. Thank you, Donnie."

Donatello patted his brother on the shoulder. "Anytime, Mikey. Anytime."

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Sorry! I'm sorry! *runs and hides under the bed* I didn't mean to keep this story hanging for so long. I blame work and real life issues. Those two things combined makes for a nasty brick wall of writer's block that I've been hammering away at for several months and only now making some progress in breaking it down. In advance, I apologize for this chapter being so short, but I wrote this while doing a 12 hour overnight shift with little to no sleep afterwards. My brain is fried. I feel like one of the zombies from _The Walking Dead_.

Anyway, that's enough of my ramblings. Here's chapter 8. Hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Bishop glared up at the computer screen. Small dots showed where his men were patrolling and every now and then one of the team leaders would report in; each with the same news: No sign of the Turtles. How was it possible that he was having so much trouble locating those four? In hindsight, Bishop thought he should have planted trackers in Raphael and Michelangelo in case something like this happened. Now that it had happened, Bishop was furious with himself for not being as prepared as he should have been. He was always one step ahead; always planning, always scheming. He had back up plans for back up plans; but for some unknown reason, he had failed to plan for the possibility that Leonardo and Donatello would be able to find his base.

Bishop clenched his teeth in anger as yet another team leader reported in that they had failed to locate the Turtles. He tightened his hands into fists. Bishop walked over to the controls and pressed a button that would broadcast to all the team leaders.

"No one rests until those mutants are found. Am I understood?" Bishop asked.

"Yes, sir," several voices sounded in unison.

"Good. Now, find them!" Bishop yelled.

* * *

"Raphie?" came a small, scared voice.

Raphael cracked his eyes open to find Michelangelo standing timidly in the doorway of his bedroom. Michelangelo's hands clutched his swollen belly and in the dim light coming from the hallway, Raphael could see the anxious look on his brother's face. The red masked turtle pushed himself up on his elbow.

"What's up, Mike?" he asked.

Michelangelo's answer was a whimper. Raphael gave him a worried frown.

"What's wrong?"

Michelangelo looked down at his belly. He rubbed it gently. "I keep having nightmares that Bishop takes our baby," he replied. He sniffled as his eyes began to water. "I can't sleep right knowing that monster is out there hunting down our daughter."

Raphael pushed back the blankets and scooted back on the mattress. "Hey, come here," he said softly.

Michelangelo padded over to the bed and climbed under the blankets, curling up against his brother's strong chest. Raphael wrapped the blankets and his arm around Michelangelo and held him close.

"Bishop ain't gettin' the egg," Raphael assured his brother. "I'll make sure of that."

Michelangelo closed his eyes, not helping the tears that silently fell down his cheeks. "Sweet dreams, Raphie," he whispered.

"Sweet dreams, Mikey," Raphael whispered back.

* * *

_Chains cut deep into the soft flesh of his wrists. He was on his knees, chained to the wall of a lab. Wide, scared amber eyes scanned the lab, but he was the only one there. Then, like ghosts materializing from the Nether, shapes began to take form in front of him. A lab table with someone strapped to it and a tall, haunting figure standing over it. Cries began to echo through the now foggy laboratory. He knew those cries; his heart lurched. He fought against the chains around his wrists, but they held fast._

_He looked up to see details take form. The person on the table was his baby brother, fighting against his own binds that kept him trapped on the table. The standing figure pushed a pair of tinted sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. Bishop grinned wickedly down at the struggling orange masked turtle. The man held up a hand, revealing a razor sharp scalpel._

_"No," Red whispered in horror. "No...stop!"_

_The lab echoed with the terrified turtle's screams._

Raphael's eyes shot open, wide with terror. His breath was heavy and ragged. Someone shifted against his chest. Raphael looked down to see Michelangelo still curled up against him; one of his hands rested on Raphael's chest. The red masked turtle sighed in relief and allowed his body to relax into the mattress. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again; his heart still hammering against his ribs. He knew it had only been a dream, but was there more to it? He had promised his brother that nothing was going to happen to him or the egg, that he was going to protect them both. But...what if he couldn't? What if he failed and something did happen to either Michelangelo or the egg, or worse...both?

Michelangelo stirred in his sleep, muttered something about pizza with anchovies, and went back to sleep. Raphael reached down and gently touched his hand against his brother's belly. He told himself that he was just being a Dad and a brother. He had always been protective of Michelangelo. He would, without hesitation, take a bullet for his brother. But now, that dynamic had changed with the fast approaching arrival of a new little life.

"I'll protect you," Raphael whispered. "Both of you. I promise."

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: I'm getting better, it would seem. Two chapters in a sensible time frame.

**NOTE**: The conversation between Raph and Mike near the end of this chapter** DOES NOT **mean that they have feelings for each other. It's just brotherly banter and siblings picking on each other. This is not a T-cest story as some reviewers have asked me.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Blue eyes flickered open and blurry vision slowly came into focus. Michelangelo moaned as he began to wake up fully. At first he didn't know where he was; clearly he wasn't in his room. Then, the soft snores coming from beside him reminded the orange masked turtle that he had visited Raphael the night before. Michelangelo felt heat rush to his face when he realized he must have fallen asleep in his brother's bed. "Oops" was the only word that came to mind. As carefully as he could, Michelangelo awkwardly slipped out of bed and tip-toed out of the room. He knew the others would get the wrong idea if they found out about what happened last night...not that anything went on.

_Ew,_ was all Michelangelo could think.

He shuddered at the thought. Raphael was cool and all, but Michelangelo had never seen his red masked brother in any light other than his brother. And if he did, it was the damn hormones' fault. That thought made Michelangelo stop.

"Am I really thinking about this, right now?" he asked himself.

"Thinking about what?" someone yawned behind him.

Michelangelo turned around to see Leonardo walking down the hallway, tying his mask around his eyes. The youngest swallowed nervously. Leonardo looked up at him expectantly.

"Thinking about what?" he asked again.

"Uh..." Michelangelo stammered, trying to think up a believable lie. "Whether to have anchovy pizza or just plain cereal for breakfast."

Leonardo blinked. "You hate anchovies," he pointed out.

Michelangelo smiled nervously and patted his belly. "Cravings," he said.

Leonardo thought about it for a moment. "Fair enough."

The leader headed downstairs. Michelangelo let out a quiet sigh of relief. He couldn't believe Leonardo actually bought that lie. Then again, Donatello had said that some human women experienced cravings for foods while pregnant that they would never otherwise eat.

_Score one for screwy hormones,_ Michelangelo thought.

However, now that he thought about it, anchovy pizza did sound a bit appetizing, at the moment. Michelangelo found his mouth beginning to water at the thought. His stomach even began to grumble. Michelangelo looked down and rubbed his belly.

"You're trouble already, little lady," he said. "Making Mommy have weird cravings for gross food. You'd better not like anchovies when you get older." He smiled and chuckled a little bit. "But, wouldn't it be just like Daddy to do the opposite of what you're told?"

"She wouldn't be Raph's daughter if she didn't," Donatello commented as he walked by on his way to the stairs.

Michelangelo's smile widened. He followed his brother downstairs and into the kitchen. Leonardo was already at the table eating breakfast when Donatello and Michelangelo appeared. As they began to get their own breakfast ready, Raphael stumbled into the kitchen. As if he was running on autopilot, the red masked turtle grabbed a bowl and a cereal box from the cupboard before grabbing a spoon and the milk from the fridge. After placing the items on the table, Raphael got a glass and the carton of orange juice before finally sitting down at the table.

Donatello glanced over at Raphael for a moment, watching his brother pour a bowl of cereal and milk. The purple masked turtle then turned his attention to Michelangelo who was just popping some bread in the toaster.

"How are you feeling, Mikey?" Donatello asked.

"In what sense?" Michelangelo asked back.

"Mentally? Physically? Emotionally?" Donatello questioned.

Michelangelo frowned slightly. "Fine...I guess. Why do you ask?"

Donatello's eyes shot back towards Raphael for a quick second. "Well, it's not uncommon in human women pregnancies for the woman to want to...um...get physical with her partner."

Michelangelo slowly turned his head to look at his brother, confusion clearly written on his face. "In what way?" he wanted to know.

"Um...in the bedroom," Donatello replied.

There was the sound of someone spitting. Donatello and Michelangelo turned to see Raphael wipe his mouth clean of the orange juice he had clearly been in the process of drinking. The implication slowly sank in and a disturbed look washed over Michelangelo's face.

"Um...ew," the youngest said. "That has never happened, nor will it ever. Raph's my _brother_, not my lover."

"And with that, I just lost my appetite," Raphael said, getting up from the table and walking out of the kitchen.

Michelangelo turned angry blue eyes to his purple masked sibling. "Do you ask these questions just to mess with our heads? What's wrong with you?"

Before Donatello could answer, Michelangelo stormed out of the kitchen and disappeared upstairs. Donatello ran a hand over his face and sighed.

"It's not like I_ want_ to ask these questions," he said. "It's just as uncomfortable for me as it is for them."

"Don't worry about it, Donnie," Leonardo told him. "You're just doing your job."

Donatello nodded then shook his head. "This just is all so messed up," he commented.

* * *

Raphael sat on his bed, his back to the door and his head in his hands. This was so messed up. How could Donatello even think...Raphael shuddered. He tried to erase what had just happened from his memory. Sadly, every time he tried to forget about it, it would always come back to the forefront of his mind. Partner. That's what Donatello said.

"He's my brother," Raphael whispered to himself. "He's my brother."

Brother. He repeated it like a mantra. Nothing more, nothing less. It was hard enough trying to live a somewhat normal life when his baby brother was pregnant with his child...even though Donatello had explained it, Raphael was still trying to wrap his head around that. But now with what Donatello had just implied...Raphael was starting to question everything he ever knew about his family. Then, a thought came to him: Maybe he didn't know his brothers as well as he thought he did. That was a scary notion.

A timid knock on the bedroom door brought Raphael out of his thoughts. He bowed his head and squeezed his eyes tight, knowing who was at the door. A heavy sigh escaped the red masked turtle's lips; he couldn't avoid his brothers forever.

"What?" Raphael growled.

The door creaked open and a shadow fell across the wall in front of Raphael.

"Raphie? Can I come in?"

"What do you want, Mikey?" Raphael asked.

Michelangelo stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "You still mad?" he asked carefully.

"More confused than mad," Raphael confessed.

"Confused about what?" Michelangelo wanted to know.

Raphael sighed. "Everything," he answered in a quiet voice. "Donnie..." He struggled to find the right words. "I don't know what my role is anymore."

Michelangelo frowned. "What role? You're a brother and soon-to-be father."

Raphael ran a hand over his face, still not turning to face his brother. "He said _partner_, Mikey."

Michelangelo took a breath as realization sunk in. "Oh," he whispered.

Raphael shook his head and put a hand over his eyes. Michelangelo thought for a moment on how he could raise his brother's spirits. He drummed his fingers against his belly.

"Ya know...when you think about it...we are kinda like partners," the youngest said.

Raphael slowly turned around and looked at his brother. Michelangelo raised his hands in defense.

"We're sparring partners. We're ninja tag partners. And on the rare occasion where the four of us sit down and play a multi-player video game, we're partners then, too," Michelangelo explained.

Raphael got up from the bed and walked over to his brother, a mischievous look in his amber eyes. "Okay, then, wise guy. If that's the way you want to play, then you're the girl," he said.

"What?!" Michelangelo cried. "Why am I the girl? Why can't you be the girl?"

"For starters: You scream like a girl," Raphael pointed out, earning him a death glare from his brother. "And another thing..."

He gently poked Michelangelo's swollen belly. The youngest pouted as he sadly saw his brother's logic. Raphael smirked.

Michelangelo narrowed his eyes. "You win this round, Mr. Holmes," he said in an exaggerated English accent as he started to back up towards the door. "But, the game is not over yet. You may have won the battle, but you will lose the war."

The moment of evil was broken when Michelangelo went to open the door, but couldn't find the door handle. He looked behind him, found the handle and twisted it. He turned back to glare at Raphael who had his arms folded across his chest and the smug look still on his face.

"Professor Moriarty is not so easily defeated," Michelangelo continued, stepping out of the room.

"Whatever, Teach," Raphael said.

Michelangelo disappeared around the door. "Vengeance shall be mine!" he declared, waving his fist in the air before closing the door again.

Raphael rolled his eyes and shook his head. His brother was losing what was left of his mind. Raphael turned around and walked over to the bed. He sat down on the mattress before falling backwards on to it. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. Michelangelo may have a few screws loose, but he was always good for a laugh.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: After...how long? Finally managed to get back on track with this story. Sorry for the long wait, but the plot got away from me and I had to find it again. Sorry if the chapter is a bit on the short side, but it was written really late at night while being super tired. Curse you, muse for being nocturnal and not letting me sleep. Anyway, on with the chapter.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

The night was pierced by the beam of a spotlight and the roar of a helicopter motor. The light swept over the rooftops, searching. But, nothing would appear. The ones the light was searching for were no longer part of the upper world. The helicopter moved on, always looking, always vigilant. The men had their orders. They had to find the Turtles, especially the orange masked one. He was the most important.

The man at the spotlight motioned for the pilot to move on; nothing was moving down below. They passed over a satellite dish on one of the rooftops, however they didn't notice the light that began flashing as they moved over it.

Down below, Donatello was jolted awake when he heard an alarm sound on his computer. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked at the screen. A red blip showed where a helicopter had passed over a radar dish. Bishop was still on the prowl, but Donatello had done everything in his power to keep their location secret from the crazed government agent. Michelangelo and Raphael didn't need to know the details of Bishop's search; especially not Michelangelo.

Donatello's attention was briefly drawn to a noise coming from upstairs. He got up from the desk and poked his head around the door. Raphael was standing in the doorway of Michelangelo's room. After a few minutes, the red masked turtle stepped away and headed downstairs, making his way to the dojo. Donatello slipped out of his lab and jogged across the lair, arriving at the dojo entrance just as Raphael started a round at the punching bag.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" Raphael asked. "Bishop must be on the move again if you're still up."

Donatello swallowed nervously. "Yeah," he answered truthfully.

"How close?" Raphael wanted to know.

"A few blocks from the warehouse," Donatello replied.

Raphael paused for a brief moment before continuing his workout. "Too close for comfort," he commented.

"Bishop won't find us, Raph. I've made sure of that," Donatello promised.

Raphael ceased his punching and just stood there, watching the bag swing on its chain. Something was bothering his brother, Donatello could tell just by looking at the way Raphael was standing. His hot-tempered sibling was on the defensive, like a cornered animal. Donatello couldn't blame Raphael, really. They had completely cut themselves off from the outside world; even from April and Casey. It was just too dangerous going around topside with Bishop lurking around.

"What's up, Raphie?" Donatello asked. "You seem tense."

"Tense ain't the word, Donnie," Raphael confessed.

Donatello took a step further into the room. "What is it, then?"

Raphael sighed, his shoulders drooping. "I'm scared," he whispered in a small voice.

Donatello blinked in surprise. It must be serious if Raphael was openly admitting that he was scared. It was so rare for Raphael to show anything other than anger that Donatello sometimes forgot that his hot-headed brother had other emotions.

"I'm not just scared about Mikey and the baby," Raphael continued. "I'm scared for April and Casey."

"What do you mean?" Donatello asked.

"What if Bishop tries to get to us by going through them?" Raphael clarified. "He's not afraid to use whatever's necessary to make them talk."

"April and Casey will be fine, Raph," Donatello said. "Last I heard, they weren't even in the city. They were out West, somewhere."

Raphael gave the punching bag a half-hearted punch. He ran a hand over his face, exhaling heavily. He turned to face his brother.

"Do you think I'm being too paranoid?" he asked.

"You're being a parent, bro," Donatello replied. "I'm sure human parents have moments like these."

"Yes, but normal people don't have crazed government agents hunting them and their offspring down," Raphael pointed out.

_Can't argue with that,_ Donatello thought. He looked up at the clock on the wall. It was well passed midnight.

"It's late. You should get some rest," Donatello told his brother.

"Got any heavy duty sleeping pills?" Raphael asked. "I'm starting to have nightmares."

"I'll see what I have," Donatello said.

Raphael watched his brother leave the dojo and head for the infirmary. He placed a hand on the punching bag, his thoughts racing. He gave the bag a shove and headed out of the dojo when he heard Donatello call his name. Hopefully a sleeping pill would help calm his troubled thoughts and bring him a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Amber eyes shot open, wide with fright. Breathing came out in raspy gasps. Raphael turned over on to his back, eyes staring up at the ceiling. Why did his dreams hate him so much? Why couldn't he have one night of dreamless sleep? Raphael put his hands over his eyes, his baby brother's terrified screams echoing through his memories. He pushed back the sheets and got out of bed, heading for Michelangelo's room.

His baby brother was curled up in bed, cozy under the blankets. Raphael tapped the outside of his fist against the doorframe as his eyes fell on the digital clock sitting on his brother's bedside table. 3:05 A.M. He had gotten an hour's sleep since talking with Donatello in the dojo.

"Get a hold of yourself, Raph," he whispered to himself. "It was just a dream."

Rubbing his eyes, Raphael headed back to his room. He sat down on the bed, arms resting on his knees. He knew that Donatello's security measures would hold up, but it seemed his mind had other ideas. Raphael rubbed his eyes again. They burned whenever he closed them.

"Raphie?" came a small voice.

Raphael looked up to see Michelangelo standing in the doorway. "Mikey? What are you doing up?" he asked.

Michelangelo rubbed his belly and Raphael immediately knew the answer.

"Me too," he said.

"Will this be the life our baby will ever know?" Michelangelo asked. "A life of fear?"

"I don't know, Mike," Raphael confessed. "I hope not. I want her to experience the world with all of its beauty and splendor. Its mysteries and intrigue. I want her to experience life to the fullest."

"But, she won't get to do that if Bishop is constantly searching for her," Michelangelo pointed out.

"He can't look forever," Raphael pointed out. "He'll give up. Move on. We'll have our old lives back."

"Well...maybe not our old lives," Michelangelo said. "But certainly close enough."

Raphael smiled. "Yeah," he agreed. He yawned. "It's getting late. We should try to get some sleep."

He got up and crawled into bed. Michelangelo waddled over and climbed under the blankets next to his brother.

"Night, Raphie," he said, cuddling up against his brother's side.

"Night, Mikey," Raphael replied, putting an arm around his sibling.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. Your support has been amazing, especially since I wasn't sure about this story. Makes me feel good that I'm writing something people are enjoying.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

"Raphie?"

"Hmm?"

"You awake?"

"I am now, numbskull."

Michelangelo lay sprawled across his side of the bed, his left arm draped across his brother's chest. Raphael lay on his back, his arm pinned beneath Michelangelo's head and shoulders. For the first time in a week, Raphael had been able to get a decent night's sleep without having any nightmares. Maybe it was because he had his brother by his side; maybe that helped to put his mind at ease. It seemed to help Michelangelo, too. Raphael opened his eyes and looked at the clock on the bedside table. 7:33 a.m. He had slept in; unless Leonardo had allowed him to sleep instead of coming to rouse him for morning practice.

Raphael hoped that his remaining brothers hadn't come snooping around. If Leonardo or Donatello had seen him with Michelangelo draped over him, they would get the wrong idea. Raphael knew that Michelangelo was a clingy sleeper, anyway; having shared a bed with him when they were kids living in the old lair. He had woken up numerous mornings to find his little brother sprawled across the bed and cuddling into him like a teddy bear, and he was stuck like that until Michelangelo decided to wake up; which sometimes took hours to happen.

"How much do you love me?" Michelangelo asked, his voice sweet and innocent.

"What do you want, Mikey?" Raphael asked back, instantly suspicious; knowing his brother only used that line when he wanted something.

"Can you get me a bowl of ice cream?" Michelangelo inquired.

Raphael rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Ice cream for breakfast?"

"She likes ice cream," Michelangelo stated, rubbing his belly.

"You're going to get fat," Raphael commented.

He grunted when Michelangelo delivered a hard blow to his stomach. Michelangelo sat up, crossing his arms.

"Serves you right for being mean," Michelangelo said, no longer sweet and innocent. "I want ice cream. Now, go and get it."

Rubbing his stomach, Raphael climbed out of bed and headed for the door. "Is there anything else you want, master?" he asked.

Michelangelo shook his head. "Nope," he replied. "Just ice cream."

Raphael opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him again. As soon as he was in the hallway, Raphael turned to look to the left. Donatello was leaning against the wall, a grin plastered on his face. Without saying a word, Raphael headed for the stairs; Donatello trotting along behind him.

"How're the hormones?" the purple clad turtle asked, following his brother downstairs and into the kitchen.

"If he wasn't carrying my child I probably would've had him killed by now," Raphael answered.

"Remember, if he wasn't carrying your child he'd be annoying as sin with his constant pranking," Donatello pointed out.

Raphael opened the freezer door and pulled out the carton of chocolate chunk ice cream. "And this is so much better," he commented sarcastically.

"It's not his fault, Raph," Donatello reminded him. "This is a lot more difficult for him than it is for you, me and Leo."

Raphael took down a bowl and opened the ice cream carton. Taking out a spoon, he began scooping large chucks of the frozen dessert into the bowl.

"And making comments towards his weight probably isn't the smartest move," Donatello added.

Raphael gave him a sideways glance. "You heard that, huh?"

"I'm surprised you couldn't hear me and Leo laughing," Donatello replied. "You were asking for it, Raph."

Raphael left the spoon in the bowl and placed the carton back in the freezer. He picked up the bowl and, without saying a word to his brother, started back upstairs. When Raphael walked through the door of the bedroom, he was greeted by a pouting Michelangelo.

"What took you so long? I'm hungry," his orange masked sibling whined.

"Keep that up and I'll shove this down your throat; bowl, spoon and all," Raphael threatened.

Michelangelo perked up when he saw the chocolate ice cream. "Chocolate chunk?" he asked hopefully.

"The only kind we've got," Raphael replied, walking over to the bed.

"Thank you, Raphie," Michelangelo cooed, taking the bowl.

Raphael shook his head in exasperation as Michelangelo began chipping away at the ice cream. _And we're back to the angel,_ he thought to himself.

The red masked turtle walked around and sat down on the vacant side of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and sighed tiredly. All that broke the silence was the clicking of the spoon against the bottom of the bowl. After a while, Michelangelo finished his ice cream and placed the bowl on the bedside table.

"Thank you, Raphie," the youngest said.

"You're welcome, Mikey," Raphael replied.

He was caught off guard when Michelangelo suddenly threw his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"She thanks you, too," Michelangelo said.

"We need to stop calling our daughter 'she' and 'her' all the time," Raphael commented. "Have you picked out a name, yet?"

"Yep," Michelangelo answered.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?" Raphael asked.

"Nope," Michelangelo replied.

Raphael shook his head, but didn't say anything. If Michelangelo wanted the name to be a surprise even for him, so be it; he could wait. Raphael put a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn. It was still too early to be awake. Curse his internal alarm clock. Michelangelo broke away and lay back down, curling up under the blanket. Raphael climbed back into bed, as well. In a matter of minutes both brothers were back in the realm of dreams.

* * *

"I forgot how cute those two are," Donatello commented.

He stood in the doorway of Raphael's room with Leonardo, watching Raphael and Michelangelo sleep. Michelangelo was half buried underneath the blankets, curled up on his side facing the door. Raphael was on his back, an arm draped over his eyes and snoring loudly.

"They're cute because they're not awake," Leonardo stated.

Donatello smiled. "They wouldn't be Raph and Mikey if they weren't always at each other. Kinda like you and Raph wouldn't be yourselves if you weren't always bickering."

Leonardo glanced over at his brother. "Although, Raph hasn't questioned my leadership in a while," he said. "It seems he's finally grown up."

"Because now you're not only leader, you're also head of the family," Donatello pointed out. "It would be disrespecting Splinter's final wishes to talk back to you."

Leonardo hummed and shrugged. "I guess," he said. "I still say he grew up."

Donatello chuckled softly. "I suppose," he agreed. "Well, I have stuff to do in the lab. If you need me, that's where I'll be."

He turned and walked away. Leonardo took one last look at Raphael and Michelangelo before stepping out of the room and closing the door. As soon as the door clicked shut, Raphael lifted his arm and cracked an eye open.

"I thought they'd never leave," he growled.

"I kinda want to mess with their heads, now," Michelangelo said, pushing down the blankets.

Raphael looked at his brother. "In what way?" he asked.

Michelangelo glanced over his shoulder. "Well, they just said that we're cute," he said.

"So?" Raphael wanted to know.

"Maybe we should show them just how 'cute' we can be," Michelangelo suggested. "Ya know, be so lovey dovey that they'll be begging us to go back to our old selves."

Raphael thought about it for a moment. Finally, he nodded in agreement. "One condition," he said.

"Okay?" Michelangelo replied.

"You kiss me and I pound you," Raphael threatened.

Michelangelo chuckled. "Deal."

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**: I know. I know. It's been a while since I updated and I'm really sorry for keeping you guys waiting. But I was kind of in the middle of a crisis with this story and my muse just up and left without any warning or even a letter of resignation. However, I did manage to get a hold of my muse and we pieced together this little chapter. Sorry it's not much, but at least it's better than nothing, right? Hope you enjoy the chapter, nonetheless.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Donatello sipped on a cup of coffee, eyes locked on a book that sat in front of him on the kitchen table. Leonardo sat beside him, munching on a slice of toast. Michelangelo was roaming around the kitchen making himself breakfast. He whistled a cheery tune as he fried eggs and bacon. Every now and then, he would rub his belly; a smile spreading across his lips. He liked to pretend he could feel the baby kicking, even though he knew it was impossible to tell since he was carrying an egg and not a what was a deemed a "normal" baby.

Raphael walked into the kitchen, water still running down his body from the shower he had just finished. He tied his mask around his eyes and went over to Michelangelo. Donatello and Leonardo watched in wide eyed confusion as Raphael wrapped his arms around Michelangelo's waist, pulled him close and nuzzled his neck. Michelangelo giggled.

"That tickles, Raph," he chuckled.

"How's mommy and baby this morning?" Raphael asked, rubbing his brother's belly.

"We're both fine," Michelangelo answered.

Raphael propped his chin on his baby sibling's shoulder, looking down at the frying pan. "What's for breakfast?" he asked.

"This is for me. You get your own," Michelangelo told him. "Every turtle for himself today."

Leonardo and Donatello looked at each other, both wearing the same "What the heck?" expressions. Raphael tickled Michelangelo's sides, making him squeal, before getting himself breakfast. Michelangelo and Raphael joined their brothers at the table; Michelangelo with his bacon and eggs and Raphael with a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. The four siblings ate in silence, which was broken every now and then by Michelangelo giggling at something Raphael was doing. Donatello finished his breakfast first and got up from the table and went to place his dirty dishes in the sink. Grabbing his book, the purple masked turtle left the kitchen and headed for his lab. Leonardo followed a minute later. Michelangelo took a bite of bacon.

"Think it's working?" he whispered.

Raphael popped a spoonful of sweetened flakes in his mouth and grinned. "Looks like it," he whispered back.

Leonardo walked into Donatello's lab and closed the door. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Heck if I know," Donatello replied. "Maybe Raph's starting to crack?"

Leonardo shook his head and ran his hands over his face. "It's too early in the morning for this. They're probably only doing this to mess with us."

"That's a possibility," Donatello agreed.

Leonardo rubbed his eyes and groaned. "The sooner this baby is born the sooner our lives can get back to normal."

Donatello chuckled. "Leo, our lives will be anything but normal once this baby is born," he told his brother. "If anything, our lives will be even more strange and unusual than it was before Mikey got pregnant."

"That sounds so wrong," Leonardo commented.

Donatello shrugged. "Well, it's true. Right or wrong, that's what happened."

Leonardo let his arms fall to his sides and sighed. A thoughtful look washed over his face. "I wonder what she's going to be like," he mused.

"Who?" Donatello asked.

"Our niece," Leonardo replied. "What kind of individual will she be? Will she be fun-loving and goofy like Mikey? Or a fire cracker like Raph?"

"She could be a leader like you," Donatello added.

"Or a brainiac like her uncle Don," Leonardo said.

Donatello smiled. "It's hard to say what kind of person she's going to be at this stage," he commented. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Leonardo nodded, a smile crossing his own lips. "I still can't believe we're going to be uncles. It's so...surreal."

"Never thought it would happen. Not to us, at least," Donatello thought out loud. "Being the only ones of our kind and all that."

"About time something good happened to this family," Leonardo said. "Instead of the messed up karma we're used too."

Donatello nodded in agreement. "This is messed up. Can't say that it isn't. But, it's a good kind of messed up."

"That's for sure." Leonardo stretched. "Well, I'll be in the dojo if you need me."

"Don't work too hard," Donatello joked.

Leonardo opened the door and left the lab. Donatello turned on his computer and started his own workout. His fingers flew over the keyboard and he updated the security systems and checked the radar for any signs of Bishop and his goons. Everything was clear. However, Donatello knew that he shouldn't get his hopes up. Clear scans could mean that Bishop had just regrouped until the next search.

Donatello set up another radar scan and left the lab, heading into the kitchen to get himself another cup of coffee. Raphael and Michelangelo were doing dishes when he entered. Michelangelo snickered at something Raphael said. Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Donatello poured himself a cup of coffee and left the kitchen again, taking a sip as he went. Raphael glanced over his shoulder and grinned.

"This is going to be too much fun," Michelangelo said, his voice low.

"Yeah," Raphael agreed. "They want cute? We'll give them cute."

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


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